An itty bitty woodpecker was drinking from my hummingbird feeder.

[In_The_Wind]

Who knew

[S n o w b a l l]

1. He's pretty...

Good morning, In_The_Wind. I love bird watching. Do you make your own sugar water or do you buy it? I made my own. I haven't put mine out yet this year. I didn't see one Hummingbird last year. Maybe they didn't like my homemade food.

I have a regular bird feeder and all I get is sparrows who eat the whole feeder in one day. I did see a Cardinal the other day.
I think that's the only pretty bird we have here in Indiana!

[laylah]

2. Ah yes, the sparrows!

I know exactly what you mean. I keep telling them to go back to England :rofl:, but they don't listen.

What kind of feed do you use? I use a mix with no milo and do have chickadees, various wrens, goldfinches (they prefer niger seed but that is pretty expensive), and I saw a bluebird, for the first time in YEARS in my yard, just the other day.

Oh, and I also use sunflower seeds for the cardinals and bluejays.

jenn

[S n o w b a l l]

3. I bought a bag specifically for Songbirds

It has mostly sunflower seeds & hearts, millet, cracked corn and peanuts. I have another bag for wild birds that has pretty much the same except it has milo.

I get the same results with both of them...sparrows.

[In_The_Wind]

7. Try the fruit and nut mix.

Even the finches in my yard are attracted to that. I've also provided a thistle sock for them. I used to use the thistle feeders but they seem to get damp inside causing the seeds to rot.

[S n o w b a l l]

8. I'll give that a try...

Thanks for the suggestion for bee balm too. It's pretty and I've been looking for something extra to plant in my "flower bed". That's in quotes because there aren't many flowers, just green stuff. My soil is so bad here not much survives.

[In_The_Wind]

9. I thought my Bee Balm was dead.

We've had so little rain here over the last month that everyone's lawns are brown.

Yesterday it finally rained and my Bee Balm are looking like there was never a drought.
http://www.altnature.com/gallery/beebalm.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSsPuRIrDIM

http://www.garden.org/plantguide/?q=show&id=2037

Good luck & happy growing.

I hope you like butterflies too.

[In_The_Wind]

4. I make my own sugar water.

The bird population seems to be down this year.

I was away this Spring (working) until June 7th. It took a few days for my hummers to realize that I had returned. My husband put out the feeders in May but reported very little activity.
Try planting the perennial Bee Balm

It's a no maintenance beauty.


I noticed that when I upgraded to a fruit, nuts and seed mixture that my seed feeder attracted a larger variety of birds. I buy my birdseeds from Lowe's. They seem to have a lower price.

Happy birding. :hi:

[jp11]

5. I get sparrows, 2 cardinals, a bluejay, and I think a pair of mourning doves.

Not sure on the doves, they make a whistle/hooting sound as they fly away and usually show up in pairs, act much like pigeons but they aren't.

[In_The_Wind]

6. It's rewarding to see the birds enjoy treats we provide for them.

It's the best way to enjoy entertainment from the few dollars I can spare to feed our feathered friends.
I've lived here since 1996 so the birds have learned to rely on my handouts year round. I found that adding a (heated in the winter) birdbath brings many more visitors to my yard.

You're right ~ doves aren't pigeons. I love their gentle cooing sounds.

:hi: